U.S. patent application number 11/640554 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-28 for connecting bearing for a vibration damper.
This patent application is currently assigned to ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Invention is credited to Wolfgang Breun, Andreas Zietsch.
Application Number | 20070144849 11/640554 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38121581 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070144849 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Breun; Wolfgang ; et
al. |
June 28, 2007 |
Connecting bearing for a vibration damper
Abstract
A connecting bearing for a vibration damper includes a
cup-shaped bearing housing, in which a disk-shaped transmission
element with parallel top and bottom surfaces is provided, this
element being attached to the vibration damper. Elastomeric bodies
are arranged above and below the top and bottom surfaces,
respectively, and a compensating element is provided to compensate
for an angular offset between the vibration damper and a line
perpendicular to a connecting surface of the connecting bearing.
The compensating element is located between at least one of the
elastomeric bodies and the transmission element.
Inventors: |
Breun; Wolfgang;
(Niederwerrn, DE) ; Zietsch; Andreas;
(Uchtelhausen-Zell, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
COHEN, PONTANI, LIEBERMAN & PAVANE
551 FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 1210
NEW YORK
NY
10176
US
|
Assignee: |
ZF Friedrichshafen AG
|
Family ID: |
38121581 |
Appl. No.: |
11/640554 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
188/321.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16F 9/54 20130101; B60G
13/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
188/321.11 |
International
Class: |
F16F 9/00 20060101
F16F009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 19, 2005 |
DE |
10 2005 061 011.0 |
Claims
1. A connecting bearing for a vibration damper, comprising: a
cup-shaped bearing housing for receiving the vibration damper along
a longitudinal axis; a disk-shaped transmission element with
parallel top and bottom surfaces arranged in said housing, the
transmission element being attachable to the vibration damper;
elastomeric bodies at the top and bottom of the transmission
element; and a compensating element located between at least one of
said elastomeric bodies and said transmission element, said
compensating element being arranged and dimensioned to compensate
for an angular offset between the longitudinal axis of the housing
and a line perpendicular to a connecting surface of said connecting
bearing, wherein the compensating element is configured so that
each of the elastomeric bodies has a constant spring cross-section
with respect to radial cross-sections about said longitudinal
axis.
2. The connecting bearing of claim 1, wherein a sealing lip is
formed on a top surface of one of said elastomeric bodies.
3. The connecting bearing of claim 1, wherein said compensating
element is firmly bonded to said transmission element.
4. The connecting bearing of claim 1, wherein said compensating
element includes a first area at least partially covers said top
surface of said transmission element and a second area at least
partially covering said bottom surface of said transmission
element, the two areas of said compensating element being connected
to each other.
5. The connecting bearing of claim 4, wherein said top and bottom
surfaces of said transmission element are coated with a plastic
forming said compensating element.
6. The connecting bearing of claim 5, wherein said compensating
element extends across an outer lateral surface of said
transmission element.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a connecting bearing for a
vibration damper with a cup-shaped bearing housing, a disk-shaped
transmission element, and elastomeric bodies on opposing sides of
the transmission element.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A connecting bearing for a vibration damper is known from DE
198 03 174 A1. The connecting bearing comprises a cup-shaped
bearing housing, in which a transmission element, which is
connected to a piston rod of the vibration damper, is equipped with
elastomeric bodies at the top and bottom. Many variants of this
design are known.
[0005] Especially for reasons of space availability, vibration
dampers without vehicle suspension springs are also being installed
increasingly at an angle to the vehicle axis. U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2005/0155829 can be cited as an
example. The basic design is similar to that of DE 198 03 174. To
compensate for the slanted position, a two-part cap with a
wedge-shaped cross section is used. The structural design of the
cap appears complicated, and because of the use of plastic as basic
material, the spring characteristic of the connecting bearing can
be softer in the area of the cap where the material is thicker than
it is at the edge, where the material is thinner. For functional
reasons, a relative soft plastic would have to be selected, because
a circumferential seal, which must have a significant degree of
elasticity, is provided at the outer edge of the cap.
[0006] As a replacement, it would be possible to use a wedge-shaped
elastomeric body at the top, but then it would again be necessary
to tolerate differences in the spring characteristic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a
connecting bearing of a vibration damper installed at an angle that
overcomes the problems of the prior art.
[0008] According to the present invention, the object is met by a
connecting bearing connecting bearing for a vibration damper with a
cup-shaped bearing housing, a disk-shaped transmission element, and
elastomeric bodies on opposing sides of the transmission element,
wherein a compensating element is located between at least one of
the elastomeric bodies and the transmission element.
[0009] An advantage of this embodiment is that there is no need for
a cap as a compensating element and a standardized transmission
element can be used for both right-angled and slanted connecting
bearings.
[0010] In a further embodiment, the top of the elastomeric body has
a sealing lip. This eliminates the need for a separate sealing
element.
[0011] According to another embodiment, the compensating element is
firmly bonded to the transmission element such as, for example, by
melt-welding or press-welding. The transmission element may be
coated or molded over with an inelastic plastic such as
polyamide;
[0012] To provide secure axial positioning, the compensating
element at least partially covers the transmission element at the
top and bottom, these two areas of the transmission element being
connected to each other.
[0013] The top and bottom surfaces of the transmission element and
an edge surface are coated with a plastic, which serves as the
compensating element. The plastic coating extends over the outer
lateral surface of the transmission element, so that a simple disk
in the form of a circular ring can be used as a transmission
element, which does not have to have an additional
through-opening.
[0014] Other objects and features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description considered
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be
understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for
purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of
the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended
claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated,
they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures
and procedures described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The invention is to be explained in greater detail of the
following description of the figures, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional side view of a connecting
bearing with a vibration damper; and
[0017] FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the connecting
bearing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a vibration damper 1 of any design having a
piston rod 3 to which a connecting bearing 5 is attached. As shown
in the enlarged view according to FIG. 2, the connection bearing
includes a cup-shaped housing 7 which serves as the load-bearing
component of the connecting bearing 5 and has a main axis 9. A
transmission element 11 for the piston rod 5 of the vibration
damper is located inside the housing 7. The transmission element 11
is in the form of a circular ring having opposing parallel surfaces
13, 15. Elastomeric bodies 17, 19 are arranged over and below the
parallel surfaces 13, 15, respectively. Each of the elastomeric
bodies 17, 19 have a constant spring cross section.
[0019] A compensating element 21 with a wedge-shaped cross section
is located between the elastomeric body 17 and the top surface 13
to compensate for the angular offset a between a line perpendicular
to a connecting surface 23 of the connecting bearing 5 and a main
axis 9 of the connecting bearing.
[0020] The compensating element 21 consists of plastic, e.g.,
polyamide, and is firmly bonded to the transmission element 11. The
bottom surface 15 of the transmission element is also at least
partially covered by the compensating element 21. The outside edge
of the compensating element 21, furthermore, also extends across
the outer lateral surface 25 of the transmission element 11, so
that a positive connection is present between the transmission
element and the compensating element in both the axial and radial
directions.
[0021] The top surface 17 of the elastomeric body is provided with
a sealing lip 27, which, in the final, assembled state of the
connecting bearing 5, comes to rest against a surface of a cap on
the vehicle body side and thus prevents the intrusion of moisture
into the connecting bearing. A straining ring 29 radially supports
the outer lateral surface of the elastomeric body 17. After the
overall structural unit including transmission element 11,
elastomeric body 17, compensating element 21, and straining ring 29
has been properly oriented in the circumferential direction, it is
inserted into the housing 7 until it rests on the bottom 31 of the
housing. Straining screws 33 hold the connecting bearing in
position on the vehicle body.
[0022] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a
preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various
omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of
the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by
those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all
combinations of those elements which perform substantially the same
function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results
are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be
recognized that structures and/or elements shown and/or described
in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the
invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described
or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design
choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as
indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *